Last.fm Music Manager

Music Manager Help: Artist Royalty Program

If your question is not answered below you can also check the Artist and Label Forum to find help.

How will royalties accrue?
You will accrue an amount each time one of your tracks is streamed on the Last.fm service. The amount will vary depending upon which Last.fm service your track is played. A brief rundown of the various royalty levels can be found below:

- If your track is played on our free radio service you will accrue a 10% of the Share of Last.fm’s Net Revenue (see the definition of “Share” and “Net Revenue” in the terms and conditions) from the free radio service.

- If your track is played on our personalised premium radio service, you will accrue the greater of either 10% of the Share of Last.fm’s Net Revenue from the personalised radio service, or US $0.0005 for each complete transmission on the personalised radio service.

My music has been played on Last.fm, why haven’t I received any royalty credit?
The Artist Royalty Program gives credit based on your percentage share of revenue generated for Last.fm by the streaming of a track. In some cases, this revenue share does not amount to a monetary unit (penny, cent, or yen), which means no credit can be added to the royalty account.

If your tracks have not been streamed very much, then your percentage of all streaming on Last.fm will be too small to generate any royalty credit.
Why can’t I get paid if my account balance is under £5/$10/€7/¥1000?
We have set these limits for payments since there is an administration cost for each payment we make, and we wish to keep this to a minimum in order not to pass it on to our artists and labels.

Please note that credit below this amount can still be spent on Last.fm, or kept in your account until it reaches the withdrawal amount. You can still use this money towards Powerplay campaigns, found in the Music Manager under Promotion > Powerplay.
I have far more plays than my royalty statistics show, why aren’t they counted?
Plays that show up on your artist page include both plays on Last.fm and plays from people listening to their personal music collection on, for example, their iPod or home computer. Last.fm’s Audioscrobbler software tracks all these plays and each play is called a scrobble - the play count on the artist page will always be higher than the play count on your royalty statistics.
Why have I had zero streams?
This could be for a number of reasons:

1) Did you sign up for the ARP after the quarter ended? The first quarter ran from July - September; reports are published one month after the quarter ends.

2) Have you transferred any releases between accounts? Royalties will only be credited to the account that they were in at any given time; they cannot be transferred.

3) Are most of your plays from Powerplay? Please note that Powerplays do not count as ARP streams.

Where can I see detailed statements of what I’ve been paid for?
These are displayed within your Music Manager, under Account > Reports.
What was "Free On-Demand"?
The "Free On-Demand" section in your historic royalty reports will appear if you collected royalties for On-Demand plays at any point between July 2008 and April 2010. This relates only to the tracks you have uploaded to Last.fm, and shows the total number of on-demand plays for your artist's releases on Last.fm. On-Demand plays only occurred in the US, UK and Germany.
Do my royalty credits have an expiry date?
No! They will stay in your account until such a time as you wish to use them, either as contribution towards a promotional campaign, or as a withdrawal should you have sufficient credit.
When can I request a payment?
You can request a payment at any time once your balance has reached the minimum withdrawal amount of $10, £5, €7 or ¥1000. Once you request a payment, your balance will be reset and you will receive a payment via PayPal within 30 days.
Who can participate in the Artist Royalty Program?
You can only collect royalties directly from Last.fm if you own all of the rights in the music and/or videos you plan to upload, and have not assigned or licensed your rights to a collection society (such as SoundExchange in the US or PPL in the UK) or a record label to collect royalties on your behalf.

There are different options for collecting royalties under the program depending on the rights you own in your music. For more information on which option is right for you click here.

If you composed the music and lyrics to your songs, you will be given the option to make your songs available to Last.fm users as free downloads. Last.fm will not pay any royalties when a song is downloaded for free. If you have recorded a cover song or collaborated with any composer to record a track, then you cannot make that track available for free download on Last.fm. This is because you must own both the copyright in the sound recording and the musical composition (often referred to as ‘publishing rights’) to authorise Last.fm to distribute a free download.

If you are unclear about what rights exist in your content and who owns them, then please read our short summary.

You are not permitted to upload music tracks or video content if you do not have the right to do so.

If you are in any doubt, please consult your legal adviser.

What if I am a member of a band who created the track together?
Before you upload any tracks or music videos you must have obtained permission from all members of the band and anyone else who contributed to the production of the track or video. This includes artists, musicians, producers, actors and directors.

If you are collecting royalties directly, you will have to nominate one member of the band in your Music Manager account who royalties will accrue to and who will be able to spend or request payment of the royalties directly to them.

Last.fm will not be responsible for any royalties that have been paid incorrectly by Last.fm to any third party who claimed ownership of your Content. It is your responsibility to make sure that the information in your account is correct.

What if I own the rights for a specific territory only?
You must own all recording rights on a global basis to participate in the Artist Royalty Program. If you do not own the global recording rights in your content, your record label may have a direct royalty agreement with us under which it collects royalties on your behalf.

If you are unclear about what rights exist in your content and who owns them then please read our short summary.

What about music publishing rights?
Last.fm enters into licence arrangements with collection societies who administer music publishing rights. In order to be paid any royalties for the use of any musical compositions (other than free downloads), you should join your local collection society (such as MCPS/PRS in the UK) and register your tracks with them.

If you opt-in to Last.fm’s Artist Royalty Program, you will only be eligible to collect recording rights directly.

If you are unclear about what rights exist in your content and who owns them then please read our short summary.

What can I do with the royalties that accrue?
The royalties that you accrue through our Artist Royalty Program will be paid directly into your Music Manager account. At the end of each quarter, you can use your royalties as credit to purchase any Last.fm promotional product, such as Powerplays. If your total royalty balance reaches the minimum withdrawal amount of $10, £5, €7 or ¥1000 (depending on what your local currency is), then you can request a payment of your royalties from the “Royalties” section of your Music Manager account. Royalties roll over from one quarter to the next, so you will never lose out by not spending the credit or requesting payment. Last.fm will issue payments using paypal.
What if there's a problem with a payment?
Payments will be made to the person that you nominate in your Music Manager account. You must make sure that these details are correct. Last.fm will not be responsible for any lost payments if the details you give are incorrect. If you think that there is a problem with a payment you should get in touch.
Can I remove my content from the Artist Royalty Program at any time?
Yes. You retain all rights and control over your content, so you can opt in or out of the program as often as you'd like. You also don’t have to remove your content from the Last.fm service to opt out of the program. You just need to change your option in the Music Manager under Account > Royalties.
Do I lose any royalties due to me by opting out?
If you opt out of the program, any outstanding royalties due to you up to the date when you opt out will be credited to your account at the end of the relevant quarter.
When will I be eligible to start to receive payments in the Artist Royalty Program?
You will automatically start to accrue royalties as soon as you accept the terms and conditions and opt in to the Artist Royalty Program.
Will Last.fm pay me for any streaming of my music that occurred before the Artist Royalty Program was launched?
No. You can only get paid for streams that occur after the program is launched and once you have accepted the new terms and conditions and opted-in to the program.
What if someone else in the past uploaded my music to the Last.fm service without my knowledge and it has been available for streaming on Last.fm, will I be paid any royalties?
If you believe someone has uploaded your tracks to the Last.fm service without your consent, you may notify Last.fm by following the procedure set out in Last.fm’s Terms of Use. and Last.fm will act in accordance with such procedure.

There cannot be any duplicate content on the Last.fm service.

Royalties will only accrue for streams that are made after the following conditions have been satisfied: (1) the program has launched; (2) you have accepted the terms and conditions; (3) you have opted-in to the program; and (4) uploaded your content that is not already available on the service.

Last.fm will not be responsible for any royalties that are incorrectly paid by Last.fm to any third party who claims ownership of your content.

What if someone uploads my music onto Last.fm under the Artist Royalty Program and claims payments that should have been made to me?
If your tracks have been uploaded by someone else and streamed on Last.fm, then this person is liable to you for royalties they collected from Last.fm. Last.fm will not be liable for any royalties that you claim should have been made to you. Last.fm has procedures in place in an effort to prevent music from being uploaded by unauthorised people. If you believe someone has uploaded your tracks to the Last.fm service without your consent, you may notify Last.fm by following the procedure set out in Last.fm’s Website Terms of Use and Last.fm will act in accordance with such procedure.
Can accrued royalties be stored between the launch date of the program and until I sign up?
No. You can only be paid amounts that start accruing from the date you accept the new terms and conditions and opt-in to the Artist Royalty Program.
What reasons would stop me from being paid?
As long as you own the recording rights to your music and have not assigned or licensed the recording rights to a record label, aggregator or collecting society there shouldn’t be any reason why you shouldn’t receive royalties directly from Last.fm. We will not pay you directly if we are paying royalties in relation to your content via a third party (i.e. a record label, aggregator or collecting society).

If you are signed to a record label or are a member of a collection society, the record label or collection society will collect Last.fm royalties and pay you.

If you have given your content to an aggregator (for example, CDBaby) they will collect royalties for the content you have provided to them and pay you. You are still eligible to collect royalties from Last.fm for any content you have not provided to your aggregator.

How will Last.fm record and report plays and royalties due to me?
You will be able to see weekly streaming statistics for your tracks in the Music Manager at any time. However, the weekly streaming statistics do not necessarily represent the total number of streams you are collecting royalties on (see why below). The royalties due to you will be displayed in the Music Manager at the end of the quarter and will be broken down into each revenue category (free radio, subscription radio, free on-demand [the latter only applicable from July 2008-April 2010]).
Do the weekly statistics reflect the number of streams I'll get paid for?
Yes. The weekly statistics show streams that have accrued royalties from radio if you were enrolled in the Artist Royalty Program at the time the play occurred. You do not accrue royalties on Free Downloads or Plays Scrobbled. However, please note that the streams listed in your Statistics page are unverified. We will verify our streaming data for accuracy before issuing quarterly royalty reports and only streams listed in the reports should be considered official.
What happens to my royalties?
Once the program has launched, you have accepted the terms and conditions and opted-in to the Artist Royalty Program, Last.fm will start counting the streams and royalties will be calculated at the end of each quarter. Once the royalties have been calculated and the balance displayed, you can spend the accrued amount for Last.fm services at any time. If your total royalty balance reaches the minimum withdrawal amount of $10, £5, €7 or ¥1000 (depending on what your local currency is), then you can request a payment from your Music Manager account by following the instructions on the “Royalties” page.
What if I'm signed with a record label or an aggregator (for example CD Baby)?
If your record label or aggregator (such as CDBaby) has entered into a direct royalty agreement with Last.fm and your track is subject to the direct royalty agreement, Last.fm is obliged to pay royalties for that track directly to your record label or aggregator. The record label or aggregator, in turn, will then pay you in accordance with your agreement with the label or aggregator. We will pay you directly for those tracks for which you retain all rights in and upload to the Last.fm service.

If your record label doesn't have an agreement with us, your label can sign up for the Last.fm Artist Royalty Program and will be able to collect royalties for you and pay you directly. It is illegal for you to upload and collect royalties for use of tracks on Last.fm that you do not own the rights to.

What if I'm signed up with a collection society for sound recordings such as PPL in the UK or SoundExchange in the US?
If you are signed up with one of these collection societies, you have appointed them to collect any royalties owing to you for the streaming of the sound recordings and we cannot pay royalties directly to you for streams on our radio products worldwide.

If you are unsure whether you have the right to collect royalties directly for the sound recordings, you should click here to read more about the types of rights that exist in your music.

What if I'm signed up with a collection society for music publishing rights such as MCPS/PRS in the UK or ASCAP, BMI in the US?
If you are signed up with one of these collection societies, you are still eligible to participate in Last.fm's Artist Royalty Program. We will pay you directly recording rights royalties.

Last.fm enters into licence arrangements with collection societies who administer music publishing rights. In order to be paid any royalties for the use of any musical compositions (other than free downloads), you should join your local collection society (such as MCPS/PRS in the UK) and register your tracks with them.

There are different options for collecting royalties under the program depending on the rights you own in your music. For more information on which option is right for you, click here.

What about free downloads and podcasts; can they earn royalties?
If you composed the music and lyrics, you will be given the option to make your tracks available to Last.fm users as free downloads. Last.fm will not pay any royalties when a track is downloaded for free but will continue to pay you royalties for free and subscription radio even if you choose to make your tracks available for free downloads.

If you have recorded a cover song or collaborated with any composer to record a track, then you cannot make that track available for free download on Last.fm. This is because you must own the copyright in a track and the musical composition (often referred to as ‘publishing rights’) to authorise Last.fm to distribute a free download.

If you make your tracks available for free download, they may also be included in a ‘tag’ or ‘personal recommendation’ podcast downloaded for free by a Last.fm user. Podcasts are treated the same as free downloads by Last.fm and the same rules will apply.

If you are unclear about what rights exist in your content and who owns them then please read our short summary.

How will Last.fm pay me?
Last.fm will only pay you using PayPal.
Do Powerplays contribute to my royalty statistics?
Powerplays do not count as radio plays in terms of royalties, and are not counted toward royalty credit, so these will not show up as streams in your royalty reports.
Why can't I change my Radio play settings?
When you enter the Artist Royalty Program your tracks are automatically made available worldwide on Last.fm radio. Each time your track is played via the Last.fm radio service you'll accrue royalties. It's not possible to make a track unavailable for the radio whilst in the Royalty Program.

You can opt in and out of the Artist Royalty Program at any time.